Jacob Hertz & Son, 37-39 W. 28 St. near 6th Ave. (2003)

Jacob Hertz & Son can be read fairly clearly here. However, in a photo ca. 1940 from the "Tax Photos" in the New York City Municipal Archives it is clear that by 1940 Jacob Hertz & Son had been painted over with "Harry H. Hertz Co. Furs." (Click for Archives photo.) This is an instance when the later sign has faded into obscurity allowing a glimpse of the older sign beneath it.

Jacob Hertz was born in Austria in 1858/59, immigrated to the US in 1885 and became a naturalized citizen in 1895. He was in business as Jacob Hertz Co., Furs by 1909 and moved to 37 W. 28th St. in 1915, specializing in children's furs. Around this time the business became Jacob Hertz & Son, and his son Harry H. joined him.

Harry H. Hertz, born in New York 16 Oct. 1889, registered for the WWI draft in 1915 at the age of 27(?). At that time he was not married and lived at 1610 50th St. in the Borough Park area of Brooklyn with his father. By the time of the US Census of 1920 Harry had married and moved to W. 135th St. in Manhattan.

In the early 1920s Jacob and Harry separated as business partners. Harry H. Hertz took over the business at 37 W. 28th St. (which was renamed Harry H. Hertz Co.), and Jacob continued as Jacob Hertz Co. on W. 26th St. Jacob also formed a new partnership with another son Alex as a second instance of Jacob Hertz & Son at 322 7th Ave.

Harry H. Hertz Co. left 37 W. 28th St. in 1926. Jacob Hertz (as well as son Alex) seem to have left the scene around 1930. Harry H. Hertz continued his business throughout the 1930s, at one time including his brother Leo.

There is another Hertz Furs sign on the west wall of this same building. I am not sure whether this one reads Harry H. Hertz Co. or Jacob Hertz & Son, but likely there is over-painting of the two names on this one too.

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Also readable on the NYC Municipal Archives photo are Mandl & Hecht, Cloaks & Suits just above Harry H. Hertz and Thomas Young Nurseries Inc., Orchids on the narrow horizontal area further down the wall. A fragment of the Thomas Young Nurseries sign was still visible as of Nov. 2003. (Click for detail.)

Mandl & Hecht were Alexander Mandl (c.1867-?) and Isadore Hecht (1874-?). Mandl immigrated from Hungary with his father and mother, Samuel Mandl and Rosa Mandl, in 1885. Apparently Alex Mandl never married: he appears in the 1920 U S Census, age 52, still living with his father and mother, now 80 and 79 years old respectively. Hecht immigrated from Austria in 1892. He registered for the World War I draft in 1917 while employed as a "Cloaks & Suits Mfr" at 37 W. 28th St. In fact, Mandl & Hecht were located here between 1915 and 1917. By 1919 Mandl left to form his own company Mandl Cloak Co. at 1216 Broadway, and Hecht formed a new partnership Hecht & Pitofsky. In 1920 the Mandl Cloak Co. became Mandl & Alper, a partnership with William Alper (1880-?). Alper immigrated from Russia in 1901 and began manufacturing cloaks on Lispenard St. as early as 1907 under the business name Alper & Fruman. Max Fruman (1873/74-?) was yet another immigrant from Russia (1890). Alper & Fruman stayed in business on Lispenard St. from 1907 to 1913.

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These same signs appear clearly in the background of a photo by Berenice Abbott dated 2 Nov. 1938. This can be seen on the New York Public Library's Digital Gallery. In the Abbott image the following are visible:

Freedman & Glotzer / Manchurian Furs (see west wall)

Morgenstern & Denker / Mfrs of Raccoon Coats. Jacob Morgenstern (1865?-?) and Aaron Denker (1867-1947) were partners from 1899 to 1932. They were located here at 39 W. 28th St. from 1922 to 1927. Both were immigrants from Austria (probably Galicia) in the early 1890s. They were located downtown on Bond St. near Broadway from 1900 to 1909 and then on University Place near 9th St. from 1909 to 1916. Very possibly Morgenstern died around 1932, although I have not been able to find a death notice. Aaron Denker remained in the fur business until his death in 1947 as Denker & Sons. The sons were Herman Denker (1896-1966) and Joseph Denker (1902-1975). Denker & Sons were in business from 1934 to 1957.

Richter & Franklin / Furriers. The partners were Bernard Richter (1889-1980) and Irving Franklin (1886-1942). Both men registered for the World War I draft while employed at the furriers, Hahn & Tolleris, 35 W. 31st St. Their own business started here at 37 W. 28th St. in 1920. They were partners from this time until Franklin's death in 1942. The business (located here from 1920 to 1926) survived more than 50 years, finally closing in 1972.

Brucker Bros & Aronof / Dresses & Costumes (see west wall)

Louis Noschkes. Louis I. Noschkes (1883-1975) was in business here to manufacture coats and dresses with his brother, Joseph Noschkes (1890-1991), from 1915 to 1922. The brothers appear together in the 1910 U. S. Census. They lived at 91 Clinton St., Manhattan, with their father and mother, Moses and Zelda Noschkes, and both are identified as "commercial salesman." In 1917 Mr. & Mrs. Sigmund Levy of 547 W. 157th St. announced the engagement of their daughter, Beatrice F., to Mr. Joseph Noschkes, and Mr. & Mrs. Louis Stern of 133 W. 113th St. announced the engagement of their daughter, Doris V., to Mr. Louis Noschkes (New York Times, 25 March 1917, p. 21). Possibly these back-to-back engagement notices imply a double wedding was planned. The brothers were born in Lemberg, Austria (in 2010 this would be the city Lviv in western Ukraine) and immigrated to the U. S. in the early 1900s. Louis Noschkes appears in New York city directories as early as 1903 as a tailor and manufacturer of skirts. In Jan. 1911 the New York Times recorded that L. Noschkes had leased a loft at 57-59 E. 11th St. The business stayed at this address until 1915, when they moved to 37 W. 28th St. Around 1914 Joseph Noschkes seems to have taken over the skirt manufacturing side of the business, which was now called the Quiterite Skirt Co., while Louis Noschkes was used for coat manufacturing.

In the early 1920s both Joseph and Louis Noschkes changed their names from Noschkes to Nash. In the 1930 U. S. Census Joseph Nash lived with his wife, Beatrice, and their two daughters, Ruth B. and Norma H., at 211-213 W. 106th St. Joseph's occupation was "Proprietor, Real Estate." In the same census Louis Nash lived with his wife, Doris, and their two daughters, Rite H. and Marion J., at 505 West End Ave. Louis's occupation was "Banking." By 1942 when he registered for the World War II draft Joseph Nash had returned to garment manufacture at the Gay Apparel Corp. at 307 W. 36th St., and Louis Nash was self-employed as Louis I. Nash at the same address.

I Rand & Co. Dresses. Immediately below Louis Noschkes was this sign for Isidor Rand. Rand was a cousin of the Noschkes brothers and probably was born in the same Lemberg, Austria. For more on Rand see the west wall of 37-39 W. 28th St.

Mandl & Hecht / Cloaks & Suits

Harry H. Hertz / (incorporated) / Furs

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